


Hundreds of Tiny Threads

by Tabithian



Series: A Lighted Window [10]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crack, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2013-03-13
Packaged: 2017-12-05 04:18:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/718808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason's seen movies that start like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hundreds of Tiny Threads

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt from epigenetics.

Jason's seen movies that start like this. 

Horror movies for the most part, but it's not like Dick listens to him about this anyway.

“Jason,” Dick says. “If they really are murderers, don't you think someone would have heard something by now?”

And this.

“Dick,” Jason says, mimicking him. “Not if they're good at it.”

Also, he's _Bruce Wayne_. If movie starlets and teen heartthrobs can get away with anything short of murder and still be considered America's sweethearts because they're rich and famous? Bruce Wayne can get away with _anything_. 

Dick just looks at him, coffee mostly forgotten in the face of their not-quite an argument. Tim's sitting by Dick's feet watching them with interest. Steph and Cass are playing some kind of game that involves pouncing on all available targets (Tim, Dick, Jason. Tim again, before he gets tired of being pounced on and tumbles his attacker into a wrestling match, that inevitably draws the other hunters in.)

“It's only for a week. Two at most,” Dick says. 

The banging and yelling from down the hall says otherwise, but Jason's not going to crush Dick's delusions. It's not his fault the damn building's falling apart, burst pipes and extensive water damage that means the building going to be uninhabitable until everything's fixed.

“Look at if from my point of view,” Jason says, leaning back against the counter. “No, really. Hear me out.”

Dick flaps a hand at him. “Fine, okay. Go,” he says, and puts his chin in his hands like an asshole. “I'm hanging on your every word.”

“Okay,” Jason says. “You want us,” he gestures between them. “To take the family,” a wave to where Steph is stalking Tim's tail while Cass watches from the shadows, Damian and Colin nowhere to be seen. “To an isolated hotel.” (Admittedly the Manor would be a step up from a hotel, but _still_.) 

The only way this could be any worse is if there was a hedge maze.

Dick's trying, _really_ trying not to laugh, Jason will give him that.

“Okay, the Manor is in _Bristol_ , Jason,” Dick says, twisting around to scoop Damian up mid-pounce before he can shred Jason's feet. “I mean, sure. It's kind of isolated, and there are the caves under the Manor and - “

“Yeah, about that,” Jason says. “Caves, Dick. _Caves_.”

Filled with bats and other things that any good horror movie shouldn't be without.

The timing's a little off, even if Dick is trying to make something good out of a bad situation. They both have time off coming to them, and it's not like they don't need a vacation. It's just.

Jason knows Bruce and Alfred aren't murderers, but it's become something of a game between Jason and Dick. A seriously messed up game, but. It's them, and apparently that's just how they roll these days. 

It's not like Jason doesn't like Bruce and Alfred, it's just. He gets the feeling he's been on thin ice with them since the last big blowout with Dick, and living with them for the next however long does not appeal at all.

They've gotten offers from friends and co-workers, but the only one that wouldn't put anyone out is the Manor. Roy's offered to put them up, but Roy has Lian and a tiny apartment. One that's smaller than the one he shares with Dick and their furry little family. Kory's building doesn't allow animals and neither does Gannon's. 

Dick tucks Damian in the curve of his arm, ignoring the tiny little growls of complaint as he scratches his ears. 

“Hey,” Dick says, just like every idiot in every horror movie ever. “What could possibly go wrong?”

********

They lose Murder Kitten somewhere in the Manor on the second day.

“Victim number one,” Jason whispers to Dick as they search the first floor rooms. 

Tim's sticking close to them in the unfamiliar surroundings. He's been to the Manor with them before, but they don't usually come this way.

Dick snorts and elbows Jason. “Shut up, that's not funny,” he says, but Jason can see the curve of his smile when he looks down the hallway.

“If we split up, you're taking the basement,” Jason says. Thinks about it for a moment, and adds, "And the attic.”

********

Despite their best efforts they can't seem to find Damian anywhere. Alfred's helped them search the Manor top to bottom, and the most they've managed to find are little tufts of black fur caught on the bottom corner of a door he must have squeezed under.

Damian and Colin are starting to grow out of their adorable fluff ball stage, but they're still small enough to get into tight spaces they shouldn't be able to. 

“He'll show up when he gets hungry,” Jason tells Dick.

“Yeah,” Dick says, and then, “Do you think he could have gotten outside?”

It's not outside the realm of possibility, and if he had - 

“Colin's not worried,” Jason says, pointing to where the ball of fluff in question is being groomed by Steph and Cass. “ _Steph's_ not worried. I think we're good.”

Dick glances at him, crooked smile on his face.

“You think so?”

“It's Murder Kitten,” Jason says. “I think he can handle himself.”

********

Bruce has been locked away in his study for most of the day, and it was generally assumed he'd say something if he happened to run across a tiny ball of fluff and claws and murder.

“I believe this belongs to you,” he says.

Murder Kitten is using poor Titus as his personal steed again, something that seems to happen whenever he's at the Manor, and _Bruce_.

“I found him sleeping in my study,” Bruce says, picking Damian up without incident. “I didn't realize you were looking for him.”

Jason eyes Bruce and the way he's holding Damian, the little quirk of his lips. The way he's looking at the little fuzzball.

Dick rushes to Bruce's side to fuss over Damian.

Jason rolls his eyes when Dick starts giving Damian a lecture against wandering off on his own that he just knows Bruce and Alfred must have given to Dick more than once.

Bruce is holding Damian carefully, and the damn kitten seems perfectly content where he is, squeaky kitten purr meshing with the cadence of Dick's lecture.

Murder Kitten likes Bruce. Likes him in the way that means he didn't claw him for picking him up by the scruff of the neck. For daring to hold him and not be Dick, which.

“Oh, man,” Jason says. “This is worse than I thought.”

“Indeed,” Alfred says, absolutely no help whatsoever.

********

Dick comes back to the Manor after work the next day with little bells that he puts on everyone.

_Everyone._

“Dick - “

“Hey, no,” Dick says, flicking the bell he's just hung around Jason's neck. “This way I can find you if you get lost.”

Because Jason plans on wandering the dark halls of the Manor on his own.

“Seriously?”

“Bruce and Alfred are wearing theirs,” Dick says, and holds up the bell around his own neck. “I'm wearing mine.”

Like that's a valid argument.

Bruce is also wearing the kind of long-suffering expression Jason's seen in his own mirror more than once, and only after Dick came into his life. Alfred is a professional through and through because he bears the bell pinned onto his jacket with a grace and aplomb Jason envies.

“Even the kids are wearing theirs.”

Steph and Cass are trying to drive Jason crazy, dashing around and tackling one another just to see who can make the most noise. Tim and Colin have taken their new accessories in stride. The only one who seems dissatisfied with things is Damian, which. _Good_.

Damian spent the first half hour trying to get out of his collar. Tiny bell jingling like mad before collapsing in the middle of the floor in a pile of oozing resentment and melodrama.

He slinks around the Manor trying to make as little noise as possible before getting fed up and bolting for cover, voicing his displeasure as he goes.

“You're an idiot,” Jason says, but he keeps the damn bell on because it makes Dick happy.

Jason learned a long time ago he's an even bigger idiot when it comes to Dick.

********

It's not really surprising when they get word that they're going to be out of a home for at least a week longer than expected.

What is unexpected is finding out that Damian likes to scurry off to wherever Bruce is during the day, bell on his collar ringing through the Manor.

The few times Jason's seen them together, usually with Bruce in front of a laptop or with a book, it's like.

“So, I think Bruce is set if he ever wants to attempt world domination,” Jason says. Thinks about _that_ for a moment. “And I don't mean of the business world.”

He's pretty sure it would be difficult to find a cat with such an excellent expression of disdain than Damian's. Or one that could give someone the evil eye as well as he does for that matter.

“It's cute that you think he hasn't already,” Dick says, which.

This fucking _family_.

********

Jason doesn't sleep in very often these days with one thing and another, but being at the Manor seems to bring that out in him.

He's headed for the kitchen when he hears voices.

Tim looks up at him, head cocked to the side, and Jason tries very hard to pretend that he's not expecting the _Scooby Doo_ theme to start playing.

“Well, come on, Scooby. Let's see if the ghost really is Old Man Jenkins.”

Tim whines, confused, but follows Jason gamely enough.

They stop at the door to the first floor library where Dick is tossing Damian's favorite cat toy for him to retrieve. It's a little stuffed bird, with a red and yellow and green color scheme Dick came up with. The bright colors have faded a little and there are uneven stitches from the times Dick and Jason have had to fix tears and rips because Damian loves it so damn much.

Bruce is _smiling_ , relaxed and happy. He asks Dick something too low for Jason to catch what he says, but whatever it is makes Dick grin.

It's nice seeing the two of them bonding like this. Dick really hasn't had the time to make it to the Manor lately, and it's not as though Bruce doesn't have his own responsibilities. Jason feels guilty for intruding on them like this, but.

There's no way Bruce and Dick don't know they're there – Dick's damn bells – but they don't seem to notice, or care.

Jason tries not to read too much into that, but. This is Dick and Bruce, and they have trouble using their words sometimes, trusting more to their actions.

Damian comes racing back, clawing his way up Dick's jeans to drop the little robin in his lap, meowing imperiously.

Bruce _laughs_ , accepting the toy from Dick. He glances towards the doorway Jason and Tim are lurking in, and smirks.

“Oh, come on, no,” Jason says, just as Bruce throws the robin towards them. 

Damian lets out a little kitten battle cry and sets out after it, skidding to a stop when he sees them.

There's a long moment where they just stare at one another, and then Damian fluffs up and hurls himself at Jason's shins with a ferocity that would be frightening if he wasn't so small.

As it is, he's a tiny little terror with very sharp claws.

“ _Goddammit_.” 

********

“How are your shins?”

“I'm not talking to you,” Jason says. 

Because _that_ always works with Dick.

“Really?” 

Jason huffs, looking up at Dick.

“I'm going to get that little bastard declawed,” he says, empty threat but just saying it makes him feel better. Makes his poor abused shins feel better.

“Okay,” Dick says, bell around his neck jingling quietly as he sprawls out over Jason and the couch he's sitting on. 

Jason rolls his eyes at that, arm going around Dick's shoulders. “Where's Damian?”

“With Bruce,” Dick says, lowers his voice to a whisper. “I think there might be a custody battle in our future.”

Oh, if only. 

“You'd miss him,” Dick says, resting his head on Jason's shoulder. 

Only because Dick's fucked up Jason's life beyond fixing.

“He's a menace,” Jason says. 

Dick laughs. “Our menace.”

Well, unless Bruce kitten-naps him, sure.

Tim and the others trail into the room a little later, hopping up on the couch to curl around and on them, little portable space heaters. 

“Hey, guys,” Jason says, careful not to wake Dick. “Long day?”

And no, it's not crazy to talk to them like they can understand him. (Of course it is, but he lives with _Dick_. This kind of crazy is normal for them.)

Tim's tail thumps once, twice, in agreement, head pillowed on Dick's thigh. Steph gives herself a little shake before settling down next to him. Cass brushes up against Jason's hand and claims a spot next to Steph. 

Jason waits a beat, and looks over at the quiet ringing at the edge of the room. Damian and Colin, taking stock of the situation before trotting towards them. Damian gives Jason a haughty look and curls up next to Dick, Colin on his other side.

Jason looks at them. Pains in his ass, doing whatever they can to make his life harder. Looks at Dick, and grimaces because he drools in his sleep when he's exhausted and that's just not a good look for anyone. 

“Idiot,” Jason says softly. 

Dick smiles, still half-asleep. “Moron,” Dick mumbles, wiping his drool on Jason's shirt. 

Jason tips his head against the back of the couch, and can't help but smile when Cass starts grooming his hair.

This fucking _family_.


End file.
